Kayley Boda just turned 22, but according to doctors, she has less than two years left to live after the side effects of vaping severely damaged her lungs.
Vaping has become increasingly popular in recent years, especially among young people. The small devices come in a wide range of flavors and colors, with many resembling a pen or USB drive. Some are designed for short-term use, while others can be recharged and reused.
But even as vapes have grown in popularity, they also pose significant health risks. One of the most concerning side effects is a condition known as “popcorn lung,” which, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is “a respiratory (lung) condition that affects your bronchioles.”
Side effects of vaping
While the condition is considered rare, vaping can increase the risk of developing popcorn lung. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “causes include breathing in toxic substances and some types of infections. You may come across these substances through work or by vaping. E-cigarettes have many chemicals that may be dangerous to your lung tissue. Experts think secondhand e-cigarette vapor can affect those around you, too.”
Beyond popcorn lung, vaping has also been linked to other serious health issues – something 22-year-old Kayley Boda, from Manchester, knows all too well.
Symptoms of lung cancer
Boda began vaping at 15 and was recently told by doctors she has just two years to live after being diagnosed with lung cancer. When she began coughing blood, doctors knew something was seriously wrong.
“A few months after I switched from reusable vapes to disposable ones, I started coughing up brown, grainy mucus,” she said, according to LADBible.
“Doctors turned me away eight times with a chest infection. Then I started coughing up blood, so they did an x-ray and found a shadow on my lung. They told me they were 99 percent sure with me being so young that it wasn’t cancer, so not to worry about it.
“When I got the results back and they told me it was lung cancer, it felt so surreal. Before the diagnosis, I was very naïve and thought that something like this would never happen to me.”
Other symptoms may include shortness of breath, wheezing, or chest pain, according to Mayo Clinic.
In February, she was briefly cleared by doctors. However, her cancer returned, and at that point, there was little they could do to treat it.
“These things are not good for your lungs”
Dr. Galiatsatos told the American Lung Association about the risks of vaping and how addictive it can be.
“These are very strong products for addiction,” he warned. “And youth are at the most susceptible age for being conditioned into needing them.
“We lost generations of Americans to tobacco. Now we’re watching it happen again with vaping.”
He added that while not all long-term effects are fully understood, vaping could have serious consequences in the future.
“I try to make it clear to my younger patients that these things are not good for your lungs and though you may not see the consequences now, you are setting yourself up for a lifelong addition to something that if you continue to use it, at some point they will give you a disease.”
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